General Assembly

The General Assembly today elected by acclamation Dennis Francis (Trinidad and Tobago) to serve as President of its seventy-eighth session, after which its six Main Committees elected their respective Bureaus.

The Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine condemned today new attacks on Kyiv this morning, which killed civilians including one child. This sadly coincides with the country marking Ukrainian Children’s Day.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the election of the President of the seventy-eighth session of the General Assembly, in New York today:

Stressing the urgency of managing the risks of natural and man-made disasters to protect future generations, the General Assembly today resumed its review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 after adopting three resolutions that will deliver nearly $15 million to the special accounts of three peacekeeping missions.

The Security Council today unanimously adopted its annual report to the General Assembly covering the period from 1 January to 31 December 2022.

BALI, Indonesia, 26 May — Achieving progress for the world’s 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories will require prioritizing inclusion and sustainable development, Indonesia’s Deputy Foreign Minister said today, as the three-day Pacific regional seminar on decolonization concluded.

BALI, Indonesia, 25 May — Speakers stressed the need for more inclusive decision-making, cooperation and a greater United Nations role in decolonization to ensure the world’s remaining 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories are not left behind, as the Special Committee on Decolonization continued its Pacific regional seminar.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today sent the General Assembly three resolutions to help keep three peacekeeping missions running smoothly until the end of June by delivering $14.59 million in additional funding for the 2022/23 fiscal year.

BALI, Indonesia, 24 May — A United Nations forum on decolonization opening here today has cautioned that top priority must be given to overcoming the many challenges facing the world’s 17 remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories to avoid undoing much of the progress achieved towards sustainable development and self-determination.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the opening of the 2023 Pacific Regional Seminar on Decolonization, in Bali, Indonesia, today: